Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Spring brings new classes, tastings, & dinners to Orlando’s wine scene

Spring is in the air, and Central Florida’s wine community is getting into the spirit with a plethora of new events.

If you want to refresh your wine knowledge, discover a wine you’ve never heard of, or get serious with a professional wine certification, you’ll find the perfect class among April’s many offerings.

If you want an excuse to strut your fancy new Spring duds, you won’t be out of place at a four-course wine dinner at one of downtown Orlando’s hottest restaurants.

Or, if you just want to kick back with a nice glass of rosé on the porch or by the sea, there’s a tasting coming up where you’re sure to find a new favorite.

Get details about these happenings and many others on our updated wine events calendar. You’re sure to find the perfect event to quench your springtime thirst.

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Orlando Hosts 3 Winemakers in 3 Weeks!

If you love wine, there’s nothing quite like talking to winemakers about their work and their creations. They’re as passionate as artists and as meticulous as scientists. When you talk with them, you’re all but guaranteed to come away with insight and perspective you couldn’t have gotten other way.

I can still hear the diminutive Carolina Garcia Viadero talking about the “little pieces of art” she creates for Bodegas Valduero. Or jovial Nik Weis of St. Urbans-Hof likening the “birth” of a wine to the existence of god. Or the elderly Heinrich Grohe weaving the tale of his life’s journey from metalworking in Germany to winemaking at Missouri’s Heinrichshaus Vineyards.

This month, Central Florida wine lovers have three opportunities to meet and talk with winemakers:

  • Robert Rex, owner and winemaker at Sonoma’s Deerfield Ranch Winery will present a tasting at The Wine Room on Park Ave. on March 15.
  • Brian Talley of Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande will host a wine dinner at The Ravenous Pig on March 22.
  • Julie Lumgair, consulting winemaker for J. Moss and former winemaker for Ideology – both in Napa – will be the featured speaker at a Central Florida Women for Winesense wine dinner on March 23.

Don’t miss the chance to connect with the people closest to the wines you love. Get more information about these and many other Orlando-area tastings, classes, and events on our Events Page.

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

New Orlando Wine Events: Napa winemaker dinner, Italian pairing dinner, and more!

The Upcoming Wine Events page has been updated with lots of new happenings around the region, including:

  • Italian pairing dinner hosted by Jean K. Reilly, Master of Wine
  • Wine dinner with Napa winemaker Julie Lumgair, hosted by Central Florida Women for Winesense
  • Tasting with Sonoma winemaker Ben Papapietro

Don’t miss these great events coming up next week:

  • Fat Tuesday party with high-acid whites at Swirlery
  • Everyday Italian tasting at Tim’s Wine Market Lake Mary
  • Australian wine class and tasting, also at Swirlery

As always, there’s no excuse to go thirsty in the City Beautiful!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine Reviews, Winemakers

Meticulous to Metaphysical: St. Urbans-Hof’s Nik Weis

“I don’t make riesling,” winemaker Nik Weis said with a sly smile. “I make Mosel.”

Thus began a fascinating two-hour vertical tasting of six vintages of Nik’s St. Urbans-Hof Laurentiuslay riesling spatlese in Miami last month.

The small private event took place in a beautiful condo on Biscayne Bay, but it was organized by one of the newest members of Orlando’s wine community, Jean K. Reilly, Master of Wine. (More about Jean in a later post!)

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Winemaker Nik Weis of St. Urbans-Hof leads a private vertical tasting of his wines in Miami, Jan. 2017

Continue reading “Meticulous to Metaphysical: St. Urbans-Hof’s Nik Weis” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine Reviews, Winemakers

We’re not Burgundy or Cali, top Oregon winemakers tell Orlando’s wine pros

In Oregon,”you must be the master of your vineyard,” says Eugenia Keegan, General Manager of Gran Moraine Winery.

Speaking to a packed house at the Hilton Orlando on Tuesday, she and four other leading winemakers from Oregon’s Willamette Valley made the case for Oregon as a wine region unlike any other. Her compatriots on the Jackson Family Wines “Oregon: A State of Mind” tour included Lynn Penner-Ash (Penner-Ash), Ryan Zepaltas (Siduri, Zepaltas), Tony Rynders (Zena Crown, Tendril), and Craig McAlister (La Crema).

They have a valid point.

Uniquely Oregon

Oregon has been a major player in the wine game for almost 40 years, but much of the discussion about Oregon wines still takes place in the context of comparison – usually with the state’s giant wine neighbor to the south, or with Burgundy, the standard bearer for cool climate pinot noir.

Continue reading “We’re not Burgundy or Cali, top Oregon winemakers tell Orlando’s wine pros” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Expect the Unexpected at Swirlery’s Blind Tasting Tuesdays

If you love wine, and you haven’t been to Swirlery Wine Bar yet, you’re missing out.

From its unassuming location on the corner of Michigan and Fern Creek, diagonally across from Johnny’s Fillin’ Station, this little gem of a wine shop/bar has become a hub of Central Florida’s wine community.

Continue reading “Expect the Unexpected at Swirlery’s Blind Tasting Tuesdays” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine Reviews

Step Outside the Champagne Box: Six Unexpected Bottles of Bubbles for NYE!

Not much beats Champagne on New Year’s Eve, but if you’re looking for some out-of-the-box (and easier-on-the wallet) alternatives for the big night, you’re in luck! Champagne doesn’t have a lock on quality sparkling wine anymore. All six of these bottles should delight your palate, satisfy your enological curiosity, and enhance your celebratory mood as you welcome 2017. And only one of them is even from France!

Continue reading “Step Outside the Champagne Box: Six Unexpected Bottles of Bubbles for NYE!” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Langmeil: Great Aussie wines from really old vines

Australian wines are rarely my first choice of libation. As for Aussie reds – well, I’d have a hard time remembering the last time I bought one. I’ve encountered too many examples that are too jammy, fruity, and one-dimensional for my taste.

But, as I’ve written many times before, I make it a point to keep an open mind and never to make blanket statements about “wines I don’t like.” There are always exceptions, and I love finding them. When I was invited to a small tasting with James Lindner of Langmeil Winery I was intrigued to see if he could show me one.

Continue reading “Langmeil: Great Aussie wines from really old vines” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Two Stunners from Loire

As you probably know if you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, I enjoy wines that are a little (sometimes a lot) unexpected, different, or surprising. I discovered a couple of new favorites that fit that description – one white and one red – at a tasting of wines from France’s Loire region last month.

“This Can’t Be Sauvignon Blanc … Can It?”

The first was a fascinating sauvignon blanc from Quincy (pronounced kan-SEE). I was surprised to learn that Quincy was the first AOC in the eastern Loire, beating out its more famous neighbor, Sancerre, by a few months.

The example we tried was the 2014 Domaine Trotereau “Vieilles Vignes,” chosen for import by the inimitable Kermit Lynch. I say this wine was fascinating because it was nothing like the sauvignon blancs I usually taste. And I mean that as a compliment!

Continue reading “Two Stunners from Loire” →